Gender Differences in Moral Judgement and Relevant Factors

Abstract

People’s moral judgment tends to be different, especially among the genders. People may find it hard to understand others because of their different moral standards. As a result, it is meaningful to research on gender differences in moral judgement. There have been numerous studies done in the past decades. Currently, most of this research are based on Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory of women and men have a huge difference in utilitarian and level of empathy. As these moral psychologists agree, man tend to be more utilitarian when making moral decisions whereas women tend to be more sensitive, emotional, caring, and show more empathy. This research aims to clarify the gender differences in moral judgement and identify the relevant factors. It was found that each gender has a unique pattern when making moral judgement. Compared to men, women tend to have a higher level in making deontological choices. They have a greater tendency to be easily affected by other emotional factors. Additionally, culture difference plays an important role in affecting people’s moral standard. However, it was proven that these differences have a negligible impact in affecting people’s moral judgement under the condition of gender difference.